Rise of a Football God

Eric Chelle's halftime talk lit a fire.

Nigeria came out aggressive.

Portugal? Having concluded that the game was already won, Roberto Martinez took off Goncalo Ramos, introducing Cristiano Ronaldo at the start of the second half to join the cruise.

Little did he know that Nigeria was not yet ready to give up.

FWEEE!

The referee's whistle sounded, the signal to kick start the game and Nigeria played with the fire and aggressiveness of men who had nothing to lose.

Ndidi and Alex Iwobi who came in for Frank Onyeka dominated the midfield battle, managing to steal control from Portugal's power trio. Sam worked his ass off, running tireless to both destroy and orchestrate play.

Osimhen got shots off. Momentum shifted.

And yet, Portugal's defense was not penetrated. Not yet. They held together like a well-knit unit, keeping the suddenly revitalized Nigerian side at bay.

In the 63rd minute, Costa denied Osimhen once again.

It was a powerful header destined for the top right corner, but costa managed to claw it away.

BOOM!

The Portuguese crowd roared behind him, pushing him on. They rallied behind the goalkeeper, sensing danger.

And then came the dagger.

In the 68th minute, GOAL!

Cristiano Ronaldo!

The legend entered at the start of the second half. Fresh legs, predatory instincts. He was who sank the dagger in the heart of Nigerian fans around the world, ruthless and efficient.

Vitinha threaded a pass through, Ronaldo burst in behind, and hammered it home with his weaker foot. Typical Ronaldo.

4-1 Portugal.

BOOM!

The stadium erupted.

Portugal celebrated like champions as their fans started the champion chants early. Nigeria sank to its knees.

It was over.

At 4-1, in the 63rd minute of the game, 3 goals behind, all hope was left. Definitely, there was no coming back from this, and yet…

…yet, something snapped inside Sam.

Pride, fury, and defiance ignited. He refused to let history end this way, he refused to let fate have its way.

And so, Sam dug in.

After the 4th goal, not just the fans in the stands, the Nigerian players in the pitch also gave up on the game for the first time since the Sam era started.

They saw no way back, and so they just played for the sake of it. They could not wait for the final whistle to sound.

Not Sam though.

'WIN!' 'WIN!' 'WIN!'

The voice was louder than ever before.

Sam reached out to the deepest depths of his soul, fighting the abyss, drawing strength from it.

And so… he ran. And ran. And ran.

He ran himself to the ground, chasing the ball, breaking Portugal's momentum, playing through passes that a dispirited Osimhen lost.

10 minutes of passing to his teammates to no avail, Sam gave up on them, and yet he didn't give up on the game yet.

He decided to go at it alone.

In the 75th minute, Sam won back the ball from Bruno Fernandes and went on a daring solo run.

With a la croqueta, he slipped past Vitinha, nutmegged Joao Neves, and with leg overs, left Ruben Dias dizzy as he approached the box, leaving the veteran defender no choice but to take him down just outside the box.

FWEEE!

The referee blew his whistle and brandished a yellow card at Ruben Dias.

Free kick.

Sam took a deep breath, stood over the ball, did a short run, and hit it…

Bam!

It rose, it flew, and flashed past, mere inches away from the goal.

"F*ck!" Sam cursed in frustration.

In the 77th minute, he dispossessed Vitinha just outside the Portugal 18 yard box and before the opposition players could react, his leg unleashed…

POW!

It was a thunderous shot from range.

Diogo Costa turned into a prime Iker Casillas to deny Sam, pulling off a terrific save as he palmed the ball away that was goal bound, top left corner.

Sam gritted his teeth.

But then, in the 80th minute, his persistency finally paid.

With pupils dilated, wide in razor sharp focus, he dispossessed Joao Neves in a dangerous position, and immediately went on another mazy run.

He ran like he knew no tiredness.

Sam surged past two defenders, bent, and curled a perfect strike into the far corner. This time, Costa stood no chance.

4-2.

The stadium hushed. Nigerian fans screamed hope.

"COME ON!"

Sam jumped, stomping his feet to the pitch as he pumped his fists, trying to energize his teammates, the fans, and himself.

That goal did something. It was a catalyst. It set off a spark.

For a tiny moment, Nigeria believed again.

That was all Sam needed to work with.

In the 83rd minute, Ademola Lookman won a foul. Free kick, 25 yards out. Sam stepped up to take it; his 2nd free kick of the night.

This time, he took his time eyeing the wall, sizing up the goalkeeper's position, and the post.

And then, he took action.

Thud… thud… thud…

BAM!

Sam bent the ball like physics didn't exist; over the wall, dipping violently under the bar.

4-3.

KABOOM!

The stadium exploded.

Madness. A hat trick in a World Cup final, just 4 years after Kylian Mbappe's own madness at the 2022 World Cup final.

"SAMUEL MOSESSSSS…!" The commentator screamed till he lost his voice.

"Hattrick!"

"The boy is about to create an Mbappe moment!"

"Can he?!"

That goal… Portugal was rattled. The Nigerian bench was losing their minds even as Sam rushed to grab the ball from the net, screaming.

"WE'RE NOT DONE!"

Nigeria rallied for the final push.

A country revitalized, they pushed Portugal, pressuring them till breaking limit, forcing them into awkward situations.

And then, the 90th minute.

It was the final minute of the game. Nigeria pinned Portugal in. Corner won. They went short, playing it short to Sam, who shaped up to take the shot…

It was Sam's 3rd free kick of the final.

BAM!

He hit it.

It was a curled free kick… it hit the bar!

Bang!

Agony.

As the ball rebounded, Portugal countered with surgical precision. Cristiano Ronaldo charged forward, laser-focused, and once he got the ball, he quickly laid it to Leao just as Calvin Bassey brought him down.

And then, in the 90 plus 1 minute…

On the break, alone with the goalkeeper, one on one, Leao slotted cooly.

5-3 Portugal.

The final nail.

It was over.

Rafael Leao celebrated like a mad man, running to the corner flag and doing the famous Marcelo × Ronaldo suiii celebration with the legend himself.

He felt on top of the world.

On that night, Ronaldo felt like all the stars finally aligned in perfect symmetry.

In the final minutes, Nigeria pushed one last time, but they got nothing.

FWEEE!

The final whistle.

[FULL-TIME: Portugal 5-3 Nigeria]

Portugal collapsed in tears of joy.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on his knees, cried tears of joy even as Bruno Fernandes embraced him. The final whistle echoed like thunder.

Nigeria's warriors… shattered, crying, were embraced by their fans who tried to cheer them up for a valiant World Cup performance.

Samuel Moses, drenched in sweat and tears, was applauded endlessly by neutrals and even Portuguese supporters.

"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!"

They all sang his name in unison.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo embraced him, trying to console him, a sign of respect from the Portuguese legend.

Sam had lost… but he became immortal in the process.

He won the man of the match award after a crazy hattrick, 12 successful dribbles, and a stunning 14.1 kilometers covered in the game. A one-man war.

The commentator waxed lyrical at the end.

"In defeat, he conquered the world. Football will never forget Samuel Moses".

"Portugal are 2026 FIFA World Cup Champions!"

Cristiano Ronaldo, the eternal No. 7, CR7, lifted the trophy high, finally a World Cup winner.

Bruno Fernandes called it 'the destiny of a nation fulfilled'.

The post-match reactions to the game were crazy as the internet had a meltdown.

On the pitch, at the end of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo faced the media.

"Forty one years old. People said it was impossible," he grinned. "But Portugal believed. This is the greatest night of my life".

Roberto Martinez, the Portugal coach also had some words for the media.

"We faced a team of warriors. Nigeria pushed us to the edge. But this is Portugal's moment".

Sam, managing to keep his tears from flowing, also faced the media.

"We came to make history. We did. Maybe not the trophy… but the world now knows African football is here".

Even in defeat, Nigeria's run reshaped football forever.

A first African finalist. A 20 year old hero. A team that refused to break.

And Portugal? They finally ascended the mountain… guided by legends, sealed by destiny.

It was an unforgettable night.

THE END.

WATCH OUT FOR PART 2: "FOOTBALL GOD; FORGING A LEGACY"

[On a side note, your humble author is now officially a graduate. Just waiting for the certified part now.]